Intermediate support for venetian-blind tilt rails



Feb. 24, 1931. F. LEEPER 1,793,943

INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT FOR VENEVTIAN BLIND TILT RAILS Filed Oc?. 25, 1928 A TTORA/li'w- Patented Feb. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE rnANxLEnrnn, or sAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA, AssIeNon 'ro COLUMBIA nILnsIN- conronArEn, or NEW Yonx, N. Y., A coaronArIoN or NEW Yonx INTERMEDIATE SUPPORT FOR VENETIAN-BLIND TILT RAILS Application led October 25, 1928. Serial No. 314,869.

This invention relates to im rovements in Venetian blinds, the essentia elements of which consist of a head rail adapted to be rigidly secured at the top of a window or the like, and a depending tilt rail from which a series of horizontal thin slats are adjustably supported b means of web straps which hang vertically own from the tilt rail, and means to effect an angular tilting of the tilt rail and horizontal` slats, as well as vertical movement of one or all of the horizontal slats to open or partially open position.

The tilt .rail is pivotally supported at its ends on supporting members secured to the head rail, and in some cases, particularly in larger windows having a considerable horizontal dimension it is desirable to also pivotally support the tilt rail at the center, or at one or more points intermediate its length. I am aware that several types of intermediate supporting devices for the tilt rails of Venetian blinds have already been used, but

` ineach case the closing of the blind was limited byreason of the construction to tilting oiiered by the intermediate sup orting device. It was, therefore, impossi le to completely close the blind, that is, to move the tilt rail and horizontal slat members through 180 or one-half(l complete turn. The foregoing slat movement is very desirable, as it enables the operator to completely close the blind against the intrusion of light, or unwanted observation from outside the window so equipped. p It is also highly desirable that the intermediate pivotal supporting member be pivotally connected to the tilt rail at a point exactly in line with the axis of rotation of the tilt rail, which is ordinarily substantially at the center ofy the cross-section thereof.

Therefore, the principal object of this in- Y vention is to provide an intermediate pivotal support which is pivotally connected to the tilt .rail at substantially the center of the cross-section thereof, and which will permit free angular tilting of the tilt rail and horizontal slat members through substantially a complete half turn or 180, to effect complete closing of the blind.

' An advantage, derived from an application of this invention to the conventional Venetian blind, is that theblind may be completely closed by tilting the tilt rail 90 from the normal Hat-wise position, thus causing the entrained slats to assume the same position and 1n which the outer marginal edges of the slats are brought to lie one against the other, thus eiecting a complete closure of the window or door so protected.

Other advantages are sim lieity of construction, low cost of manu acture and reliability of operation. i

T he accompanying drawings illustrate embodlments o my Invention and referring thereto:

Fig. l isa front elevation of a Venetian blind, embodying my invention, and shown In partially closed position, and as mounted 1n a window casement.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fi 3 is a horizontal section on li'ne iv-3 1n Flgs. 1 and 4, showing central end portions of the tilt rail with the intervening portion broken out.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 in Fig. 3, showin a fragment of the head and tllt rails and s owing the intermediate supporting means to permit 180 movement of the tilt rail.

Fig. 5 is a view on line 5-.5 in Fig. l, showing mounting and operating means adapted to effect complete 180 rotation of the tilt rail.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6 6 in Fig. 4, showing an assembly of the means to edect complete 180 rotation of the tilt rail.

Fig. 7 issimilar to Fig. 6, except that the ilt rail is shown in vertical or closed posilon.

' l indicates a window Casement having the usual stiles 2 and rails 3, in which is mounted a conventional type of Venetian blind, 4, modified to embrace the invention herewith disclosed.'

Referring Ito the blind proper, 5 indicates the head rail, which is secured in position by brackets 6, secured to the stiles 2, or to any other suitable portions of the window casement, and to which a tilt rail 7, is pivotally mounted by means of brackets 8 and '8,

l secured to the head rail, as by means of screws 9. l

Web strips 10 are vertically suspended from the tilt rail 7, and at spaced intervals support thin flat slats 11, whlch are Aloosely supported upon transverse webbing strips 10 extending between the vertlcal strips of webbing and which are at all times parallel with the tilting rails 7.

Tilting cords 12 and 13, are adapted to effect angular movement of the tilting rail 7 and slats 11, and to accomplish this, one of the cords, as 12, is passed over a pulley 14 freely rotatable on anaxis 115 which is xed in the bracket 8 by any convenient method, and said cord is then iven a single turn 12 about the tilting ra'il from which the end 13 hangs downwardly, parallel with its other end 12. Means such as a staple 13 prevents J slipping of the cords 12 and 13, when the vcords are pulled to effect movementO of the tilt rail. Any suitable means such as shown for example in Whitmore Patent No. 1,639,474 may be provided for tending to hold the tilt rail in any angular position to which it may be tilted.

-15 indicates a lifting cord forming a loop 15 and having its ends passing over a pulley 16 while one end passes over pulley `17` and the other over pulley 18, passing down through openings or slots 34 in the tilt rail 7 and in the several slats 11, as shown in Fig. 2, and terminating in a convenient fastening means as a knot beneath the lowermost slat or bottom rail 11 to prevent withdrawal through the slats when the loop 15 is pulled. It is evident that pulling on cords 15 will cause each of the respective slats to be lifted as the lowermost slat or bottom rail cornes into contact with and lifts upwardly against the slat immediately'above, etc. A post 19 fastened to one of the stiles 2 of the window easement 1 is adapted to receive the cords 15 to hold the blind in any position except, of course, closed position, in which position the cord 15 is played out and the weight of the blind rests upon the webbing 10 which is secured, as above stated, to the tilt rail 7..

In any intermediate position, the weight of the slats is carried by the lifting cords and is held in that position by A,securing tlie cord 15 to the post 19.

In addition to supporting the tilt rail at the ends 'by means of supporting brackets 8 and 8,`I provide according to the present invention, means for rotatably supporting said tilt rail at one or more points intermediate the ends thereof. In the present instance I have shown one of such intermediate supporting means, located at the center of the tilt rail, but it will be understood that any desired number of similar supportingmeans may be provided at suitable points. Said intermediate supporting means may comprise a substantially 'vertically extending strap or link 20 having its upper end loosely supported in a recess 35 in the head rail by means of a pin 21, which may comprise in practice a screw or nail as shown, passing through a vertical slot 21 in link 20. The lower'end of said supporting link is secured by pivot member or pin 22 to the Uf-shaped portion 27 of-a bracket 27 secured to the tilt rail 7. In order to permit placing of the pivot pin 22 at the center 'of cross-section of the tilt rail and upon the axis of rotation thereof, I prefer to entirely cut away the tilt rail at this point, said tilt rail being thus fformed of two parts 24 and 25, and the U- shaped portion 27 of bracket 27 being received between the adjacent ends of said parts as shown particularly in Fig. 4. The two parts of the tilt rail are secured together by meansof bracket 27 and a plate 26, both of which may be secured thereto in any suitable manner as by means of screws 28. The plate 26 and bracket 27 are also preferably riveted together as indicatedat 29.

The foregoing assembly provides complete freedom of movement in the tilt rail up to 180, which is as far as it is desirable or possible to go, because at either of the closed positions the overlapping edges of the slats strike one another to prevent further movement.

` By referring to Fig. 5, it can readily be seen how the application of power, as a pull, on the tilting cords 12 or 13 will rotate the tilt rail 4from the horizontal line A-A in Fig. 5, to that coinciding with the dotted line position and the vertical line B-B, thus enabling 90 rotation in either direction from f fact that the space 23 between the sides of the U-shaped part 27 of bracket 27 extends to a depth beyond the pivot 22 throughout the width of the tilt rail, so as to receive the link 20 when said tilt rail is swung to such position. The link 20 is preferably made as a flat strip whose lower portion extends with its larger transverse dimension, or width, in a plane perpendicular to the tilt rail, up to a height greater than the -distance from, the pivot 22 to the edge of the tilt rail, so that the recess 23 need be of only sufficient width to receive'the smaller dimension, or thickness, of said strip. The upper portion 20 of said strip, however, is preferably twisted approximately 90 so as to lie in a lane extendingl longitudinally of the tilt rail, thus presenting the larger transverse dimension of said strip to receive pin 21. While the recess 35 is large enough to loosely receive this upper `portion 20 and permit the same to adjust center, or making the same of the two parts v24: and 25, and placing bracket 27 in position with the U-shaped part thereof. extending down between the adjacent ends of said parts, I am thus enabled to place the pivot 22 at substantially the center of cross-section of tilt rail 7 and to permit the tilt rail to swing approximately 90 in either direction from horizontal without striking the supporting link 20, while said bracket, together with plate 26, provides a rigid connection between the two parts of the tilt rail which is fully as strong as though said tilt rail were continuous in one solid piece." Furthermore, I am thus enabled to use shorter pieces of material in making the tilt rail, and the proportion of waste material is therefore reduced.

I claim:

1. In a Venetian blind, in combination with a fixed support above the blind, a tilt rail extending beneath said fixed support, means rotatably supporting the ends of said tilt rail, and an intermediate supporting member supported by said fixed support and held thereby in substantially vertical position and pivotally connected to said tilt rail intermediate the ends thereof, the axis of rotation defined by said end support-ing and intermediate supporting means extending substantially through the center of cross section of said tilt rail, and said tilt rail being recessed downwardly from its upper edge and throughout its width, so as to receive said intermediate supporting member upon tilting of the tilt rail and permit tilting of said tilt rail to substantially vertical posiion Vin either direction.

2. In a Venetianl blind, in combination with a fixed support, a tilt rail extending beneath said fixed support, means rotatably supporting the ends of said tilt rail, said tilt rail being provided with a recess, intermediate its ends, openingupwardly and extending down beyond the center of cross-section of said tilt rail throughout the width thereof, a vertically extending supporting link having its upper end supported in substantially fixed position upon said fixed support and having its lower end extending within said recess in the tilt rail, and means pivotally connecting the tilt rail to said supporting link.

3. In a Venetian blind, in combination with a fixed support, a tilt rail consisting of two parts placed end to end and spaced somewhat apart, means rigidly connectlng the adjacent ends of said parts together, means rotatably 'supporting the ends of the tilt rail, an intermediate supporting member connected to said fixed support, and means pivotally connecting said supporting member at its lower end to said tilt rail intermediate the adjacent together the parts of the tilt rail comprising a bracket secured to the upper faces thereof and having a U-shaped portion extending downwardly in the space between the two parts of the tilt rail and a plate secured to said intermediate supporting member having its lower end extending within said U- 'shaped portion and pivotally connected thereto.

6. In a Venetian blind, in combination with a fixed support, a tilt rail extending beneath said fixed support, means rotatably supporting the ends of said tilt rail about an axis of Vrotation extending longitudinally of the tilt rail and substantially through the center of cross section thereof, said tilt rail being provided with a recess intermediate its ends extending to a depth below said axis of rotation and throughout the entire width of said tilt rail, and intermediate supporting means for said tilt rail, said intermediate supporting means comprising a vertically extending link having its upper end supported in' substantially fixed position on said fixed support and having its lower end extending within said recess and pivotally connected to the tilt rail substantially at said axis of rotation, said recess serving to receive the body of said link upon tilting of said tilt rail so as to permit movementl thereof about said axis of rotation through an angle of substantially 180 without requiring substanti al movement of said link.

7 In a Venetian blind, a fixed head rail,

a tilt rail extending beneath said head rail, means rotatably supporting the ends of said tilt rail for rotation about a horizontal axis extending substantially through the center of cross-section thereof, said` tilt rail havmg a recess intermediate its ends and extending throughout its width and from its upper face downwardly below said axis of rotation, an lntermediate supporting member located intermediate the ends of said tilt rail and comprising a vertically extending link having its lower end extendlng into said recess in the tilt rail, a pivot member l ing substantially in said axis of rotation o the tilt rail and rotatably connecting said tilt rail to the lower end of said link, saidhead..

rail being recessed upwardly from its lower face to receive the upper end of said link, said link being twisted intermediate its height and having its lower portion, for a/height greater than half the width of the tilt rail, disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the length of the tilt rail and its upper portion disposed in a plane substantially arallel to the length of the tilt rail and projecting into said recess in the head rail, and a pin extending transversely in said head rail and through the upper end of said link.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th day of October,

FRANK LEEPER. 

